Left Voice

France: Against job uncertainty and layoffs...

May 13, 2014

All support to the Postal Service strike in the Paris Arrondissement 92

France: Against job uncertainty and layoffs

For the last 3 months the postal workers of the Paris Arrondissement 92 have been carrying out a hard struggle against the layoffs of their comrades in a precarious situation. It began in just one Post Office and spread to others, despite the indifference of the union leaderships. As days passed, the workers were also radicalizing their demands and are now raising the demand for the end of job uncertainly inside the Post Office.

It is an example of struggle in the midst of the offensive of the government, that launched a brutal reduction of 50 billion euros that the workers and the people will have to pay, while government is financing businessmen. It is also an example of struggle in the context of the widespread attacks of the employers with layoffs and wage cuts in hundreds of firms.

The struggle is confronting a very hard management that has been trying to intimidate, demoralize and repress the workers. The employers have tried to break the strike by using scabs, but the workers convinced the strikebreakers to fight together for decent work. Management tried to scare the strikers with threats of disciplinary measures and layoffs, but the workers did not let up. It tried to repress them using the police, but the workers did not allow themselves to be frightened. It tried to break them through economic need, by refusing to pay wages, but the workers supported themselves with their resistance fund. It is an exemplary struggle, like those of Panrico and Coca Cola in Spain, and now it is winning the support and solidarity of students and workers from other unions, as well as from social and political organizations. A solidarity campaign is needed, not only within France, but on an international level, to surround this struggle with support and achieve victory.